Ian Redmond

One of our leading conservationists, Ian has helped make films that have inspired millions and given young people around the world a unique insight into the natural world.

Best known for his work with mountain gorillas, Ian has been involved in more than 100 documentary films for channels such as the BBC, National Geographic Society and Discovery Channel, and the 3D movie The Last of the Great Apes.

He was also the man behind Sir David Attenborough's famous encounter with a group of mountain gorillas in Dian Fossey's sanctuary in Rwanda.

And he even taught Sigourney Weaver to grunt like a gorilla in 1987 for her award-winning role in the film Gorillas in the Mist - in which Ian is characterised as the Worm Boy.

Working closely with the Born Free Foundation for many years, Ian established and chairs the Ape Alliance, a network of 95 organisations to encourage conservation groups to work together, and is the chief consultant of the Great Apes Survival Partnership.

The GRASP – Ian Redmond Conservation Award was created in 2012 to develop and inspire young conservationists working to protect great apes and their habitat in Africa and Asia.

Ian's passion for animals began when he was a young boy, and eventually took him to Africa where he began studying the mountain gorillas of Rwanda and Zaire.

But two years after arriving on the continent his life changed forever, when poachers killed Digit, a young silverback gorilla he had got to know.

Finding the headless, handless body of an ape he regarded as a friend was a turning point in his life, and he turned from research to campaigning and protecting the animals.

Ten years later, the shock was repeated - and his resolved strengthened - when some of the elephants he had been studying in Kenya were killed by ivory poachers.

Putting conservation principles into practice, he has led anti-poaching patrols, taken film crews to close encounters with gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans and elephants, and worked to support local conservationists during the horrors of civil war in Rwanda and the Congo.

The devoted campaigner for endangered species has also gone undercover playing the role of a potential ape-buyer to infiltrate and expose poaching rings in DR Congo.

Meanwhile, his field research has been recognised worldwide, including the first study and photography of 'underground elephants' living in the caves of Mt Elgon in Kenya, and an acclaimed study of gorilla parasites.

He says: “Conservation for me isn’t just about saving species. On a larger scale, the planet needs us to save functioning eco-systems. On a smaller scale, we must also recognise that species are made up of individual animals.

"For me, it became personal when I had the privilege of getting to know individual wild animals in the wild. I can truthfully say that some of my best friends are gorillas, and I care passionately about them and the future of all life on Earth."

Is this the terrifying moment that shows cruelty of humans has turned elephants against us? Heart-stopping video emerges after a respected British naturalist narrowly survives a shocking charge in the jungle

To donate to Born Free’s Save The Mount Elgon Elephants Appeal, visit bornfree.org.uk/give/save-the-mount-elgon-elephants

Looking back over his shoulder, Ian Redmond could see the 8ft-tall, four-ton bull elephant charging towards him at ferocious speed.

Glancing around, he realised his options were severely limited: there were no trees to climb and there was no way of outrunning the beast, capable of up to 25mph.

Within seconds, the angry elephant was upon him, ears flapping wildly and sharp tusks gleaming, and the air was filled with the huge animal’s deafening trumpet sound.

In an attempt to avoid being pierced by its tusks, Redmond rolled under the elephant but soon found himself being kicked around like a football.

Animal campaigner Ian Redmond is charged by an elephant

Experienced conservationist Ian Redmond was attacked by an African elephant, pictured, on Mount Elgon on the border between Kenya and Uganda

Mr Redmond, who has worked closely with Sir David Attenborough, managed to escape the attack and film it

He now believes usually-docile elephants see humans as enemies as a result of the attack, pictured

He was 'kicked around like a football' by the beast and it is the first time in 40 years he has been hurt by a wild animal

Incredibly, he not only managed to escape with his life but also film the terrifying attack.

In his remarkable footage, a serene family of elephants is first seen plodding along in the distance before a huge male spots Redmond and decides to charge, knocking him to the ground.

Yet he is no naive safari tourist who ignored warnings not to stray into dangerous territory.

He is a very experienced conservationist who co-founded Born Free’s famous Elefriends campaign and has worked closely with Gorillas In The Mist environmentalist Dian Fossey and Sir David Attenborough. He was awarded an OBE in 2006.

Despite his years of experience, he was left shaken by the incident, in which he could so easily have been crushed to death.

But what has really disturbed him is the chilling conclusions he has drawn about the unprovoked attack.

Redmond believes that elephants, not normally prone to acts of aggression, now see humans as the enemy.

He says the animal, later named ‘Kali the Courageous Tusker’ by Redmond and his colleagues, charged deliberately after suffering a previous trauma at the hands of poachers.

‘I’ve been given a friendly thump by a gorilla and had close encounters with elephants,’ Redmond says.

‘But this is the first time in 40 years that I’ve been hurt by a wild animal. The real point is not that I survived an elephant attack, it’s why did this elephant attack?

'What does it say about the state of elephant conservation when normally peaceful animals suddenly change?’

Recuperating back home in Stroud, Gloucestershire, the 62-year-old – sporting well-worn safari shorts – seems in good spirits.

Mr Redmond, pictured, was awarded an OBE in 2006 and worked closely with Gorillas In The Mist environmentalist Dian Fossey

The home he shares with his therapist wife, Caroline, 61, contains many books on animals, ten of which he has written.

The Born Free shirt he wears is his favourite. He had it on during the attack and it still bears Kali’s muddy footprints.

The father of twin boys, now in their 30s, was born in Malaysia but returned to Yorkshire as a toddler.

He is perhaps best known for assisting Fossey, whose famous study of Rwandan mountain gorillas was portrayed in the 1988 film Gorillas In The Mist.

Such was his influence on the story, he spent a memorable night teaching Sigourney Weaver, who played Fossey, how to grunt like a gorilla.

He also held the microphone for Attenborough during his famous gorilla film for the 1979 series Life On Earth.

When we meet he is full of mirth despite his injuries, but he also has a serious point to make: elephants are having more negative experiences with humans than ever before.

And he says that this, combined with past memories of family members being slaughtered for ivory, is having a lasting psychological effect on them and turning some against humans.

In February, British tourist Gareth Crowe, 36, was killed after being thrown from an elephant that turned on its handler during a trek in Thailand.

It is thought about 500 people a year are killed by African elephants.

‘Often you see videos on YouTube of elephants chasing vehicles,’ says Redmond. ‘There’s a recent one of Arnold Schwarzenegger being chased in a car while on safari.’

He had been on Mount Elgon, which borders Kenya and Uganda, attempting to film a mother and baby elephant when the attack happened.

On the first day, Redmond and the mountain’s elephant monitoring team spotted a group of about 40 within a couple of hours’ walk from a ranger station. The herd seemed agitated.

Next day they followed the herd to a grassy glade from where they could observe at a safe distance.

Redmond noticed they were moving in tight formation, their pace quickening at the sound of human voices. One elephant, who was drinking, spotted the team and broke ranks to check them out.

It then returned to the safety of the herd and, Redmond believes, communicated the humans’ presence to the other elephants.

He recalls: ‘The females walked on ahead but the last elephant of the group, a bull aged about 30, peeled off.

'He didn’t look angry or agitated, but started to run at us with his ears out and trunk up. The books say this display is a bluff.

'We backed off but he didn’t stop. Turns out not all elephants have read the books.

‘As he closed in on me, it was like time slowed. My hand went up to his face. I remember his cold, hard tusk against my knuckle and the softness of his upper lip.’

The impact sent Ian reeling in a backwards roll, and he found himself upside down underneath Kali. ‘There was a confused few seconds during which he played football with me. His feet were very muddy.

‘I was quiet throughout – he’d knocked the air out of me. The rangers said I was then kicked out from under him before he came back to squash me.’

Redmond lay on the grass and heard the crack of the rangers’ guns shooting in the air. The elephant immediately fled.

Redmond managed to stand but his neck hurt. Fearing a spinal injury, his team crafted a stretcher from poles and jackets and made the agonising two-hour journey down the mountain before driving to the nearest hospital.

It is thought around 500 people are killed in African elephant (pictured) attacks each year

He had partially dislocated his shoulder, had soft-tissue damage and suffered severe bruising to his ribs and sternum but had not broken any bones.

Seven weeks on, he is still in pain but recovering well. He knows he is incredibly lucky to be alive.

‘I was fortunate to avoid the pointy bits and the weight,’ he says.

‘I survived because the ranger fired that gun. I’m told that Kali had turned and was coming to gore me.’

'Perhaps he has seen his friends killed by poachers. It’s not just what you do, it’s what the last person the elephant has met has done.’

A number of research papers have published findings that, like humans, elephants suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Redmond agrees that this is not an unreasonable argument, but insists that elephants, who supposedly never forget, can learn to trust again, adding: ‘Elephants have shown themselves capable of mirror recognition – they have a complex multi-layered society.’

And he says: ‘What happened to me is a symptom of a problem. We have to tackle the problem.’

To donate to Born Free’s Save The Mount Elgon Elephants Appeal, visit bornfree.org.uk/give/save-the-mount-elgon-elephants

What fundraising project brings together Dr Jane Goodall, 13 primate conservation organizations, four independent wildlife photographers, three primate conservation societies, two zoos, and half a dozen youth organizations, all in the name of primate conservation?

Yes, that’s right. The 2016 Primate Connections Calendar Project is an innovative fundraising initiative that brings together efforts from 13 of the hardest working primate conservation organizations in the world in order to raise money, increase awareness, generate valuable conservation dollars, and promote collaboration among experts.

Inside the calendar you will find stories of the trials and triumphs these organizations face as they battle to preserve animals and forests, as well as 12 breathtaking photos of some of the rarest primates on earth.

Each page also contains an environmental tip that can help us all become better stewards of primates and the planet from our very own homes.

Through the purchase of a calendar you too can become part of the Primate Connections Network.

The Primate Connections Network is a growing group of conscious conservation leaders who are ready to achieve a world that works through collaboration, education, innovative income generation, commitment, and creativity.

When purchased here, proceeds earned from the sale of this calendar will go to support Ape Alliance

This stunning book about the chimpanzees of Tanzania's Gombe National Park is now available through Ape Alliance

The Chimpanzees of Tanzania’s Gombe National Park have been chronicled for the past 50 years. This book by Anup Shah and Fiona Rogers contains updated observations of one of the most documented groups of wild animals in the world.

New Europe-wide legislation which comes into effect tomorrow (13th December) means that palm oil will no longer be a hidden ingredient on food packaging – a move which conservation groups are hailing as a significant step forward for the protection of orangutans and other endangered species.

World famous primatologist, Dr Jane Goodall, DBE Founder - the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace and distinguished field biologist and conservationist Ian Redmond OBE, have joined the UK animal protection organization the BUAV, to raise concerns about the sad plight of wild-caught baboons used in research at the Institute of Primate Research in Kenya.

An investigation carried out by the BUAV in Kenya uncovered the capture and captivity of wild baboons held at the Institute of Primate Research in Nairobi under conditions which seriously compromised their welfare and breached international guidelines - including those of the European Directive (1) and the International Primatological Society (2) - before being subjected to disturbing experiments by visiting researchers from the USA and Europe. Some of the baboons were housed on their own in small barren metal cages with no enrichment. Legislation in Kenya relating to animal experiments is outdated and hopelessly inadequate.

Jane Goodall, PhD., DBE and UN Messenger of Peace, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute told the BUAV: ‘I have watched the video that shows, in graphic detail, the conditions endured by some of the baboons at the Institute of Primate Research in Nairobi. I was shocked and deeply distressed to see these intelligent primates - we have been studying them at Gombe National Park since 1966 - being kept in the conditions depicted in your film. These cages are very far removed from the conditions dictated by today’s animal welfare guidelines. In most countries these conditions would not be tolerated and those responsible would be forced to clean up their act.

During an 18 month investigation, ordered by the Director of the National Institutes of Health in the USA, a team of experts found that NOT ONE EXPERIMENT being carried out on the Institute’s chimpanzees was beneficial to human health. And the Director ordered almost all of the more than 300 chimpanzees to be retired to sanctuaries. And chimpanzees are far closer to humans than baboons. So that a similar investigation might well reveal similar results.

Any caring and compassionate person will feel as angry and sad as I do after viewing the video. In my professional opinion the facility – at least as depicted in the video – should be closed down.’

Field biologist and conservationist, Ian Redmond OBE. Stated: ‘Wildlife tourism is one of the mainstays of the Kenyan economy, and many Kenyans dedicate their life to protecting wild animals. They - and the millions of tourists with happy memories of watching the fascinating behaviour of baboon family life - will be shocked to hear that these intelligent social animals are being abused in a biomedical laboratory in Kenya. Baboons and other primates have a role to play in Africa's ecosystems (which benefit us all) and have no place in out-dated research methods like this in the 21st century. I urge the Kenya Government to end such invasive experiments before outraged tourists vote with their feet.’

Experiments carried out on wild baboons at the Institute Primate Research was often highly invasive, caused immense suffering and was even fatal. It included invasive brain surgery; the force-feeding of khat extract, a herbal stimulant, to examine its effects on sperm production and quality; stitching the wombs of female baboons shut so that their menstrual blood accumulates over many weeks into a large abdominal mass in an attempt to trigger painful endometriosis; infecting baboons with malarial parasites (in some experiments, infection was allowed to run its full course until all the baboons died).

In December 2013, Newcastle University announced that it would end its involvement in controversial research on wild-caught baboons at the Institute of Primate Research, after the BUAV investigation uncovered researchers bypassing UK law (which banned the use of wild-caught primates in research in 1995) to travel to Kenya. This was also found to be a breach of guidance by UK funding bodies which requires UK researchers to maintain UK welfare standards when carrying out experiments abroad. (3)

The BUAV is calling on the Kenyan government to take a stand and dissociate itself from the cruelties of the wild-caught trade by introducing a ban on the capture and use of wild primates for research: https://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/president-of-kenya-his-excellency-mr-uhuru-kenyatta-stop-the-cruel-capture-and-captivity-of-wild-baboons-for-research-in-kenya For further information, images and video footage, please contact Sarah Dickinson on +44 20 7619 6978 / + 447850 510 955 or email sarah.dickinson@buav.org

Notes:

(1) European Directive - Official Journal of the European Union. Directive 2010/63/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2010 on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes.

(2) International Primatological Society (2007) International Guidelines for the Acquisition, Care and Breeding of Nonhuman primates [online]

(3) Responsibility in the use of animals in bioscience research, Expectation of the major research council and charitable funding bodies. April 2013

Ecotricity takes the money its customers spend on their electricity and gas bills and uses it to build new sources of Green Energy – made from the Wind, the Sun and soon the Sea.

Ecotricity has set up a scheme whereby they'll donate up to £60 to the Ape Alliance for every person who switches their energy providers to them. They will donate £40 for any electricity switch to Ecotricity, and £60 for a dual fuel switch when people use the Source Code: APES1

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We’re an energy company unlike any other. We take the money our customers spend on their electricity and gas bills and turn it into new sources of Green Energy.

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On the 30th April, the charity Ape Alliance held a panel discussion at the University of Bristol on the issue of illegal wildlife trade, a major threat to biodiversity worldwide. The international trade is estimated to be worth £400 billion the illegal component of which is worth £20 billion, and threatens many species, including apes, big cats, elephants and rhinos. It is linked to criminal cartels and terrorism, and each year sees millions of wild animals mutilated, poisoned, shot and trapped in order to be traded by criminal networks, incentivised by high profit margins and low risks of detection and conviction.